


Broken Trust

by WonderBat91939



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Needs a Hug, Angst, F/M, How do I tag?, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, No Beta, Plagg Cares, We Die Like Men, Why Did I Write This?, idk yet for sure tho, it'll probably happen, possible akumatized!adrien, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-04-07 15:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19087846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WonderBat91939/pseuds/WonderBat91939
Summary: It had all started with six words. They were seemingly innocent. Then she proceeded to break his trust.Marinette reveals her identity to her closest friends. The problem? She doesn’t know one of them is also her partner. Adrien is crushed.  Rated T 'cause I'm paranoid.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Been a while since I’ve written angst, and I’m new to writing fanfic in this fandom (first Miraculous fic), so I hope this turns out well. Inspired by a post on tumblr by thescuttlebug (I know it’s late. I don’t care). It’s a little different because Chloé is also included (she is now part of the friend group in this fic), but I figured that would just add a little (or a lot) of salt to the wound. ;) Enjoy! 
> 
> I do not own Miraculous or its characters.

“I need to tell you something.” Six words. Six little words that would soon turn his world upside down, even though he didn’t know it yet. They were gathered at Nino’s house for the afternoon: Marinette, Adrien, Alya, even Chloé.

Currently, the five of them sat scattered around Nino’s living room taking turns at racing Mario Kart (They’d originally started playing Ultimate Mecha Strike III, but found out that was a _very_ bad idea when Marinette had pummelled them all swiftly, easily, and mercilessly). As Marinette spoke, four heads turned toward her, leaving the game forgotten.

“Can you… can you all keep a secret?” Her eyes shifted back and forth between the faces of her friends. She shifted her weight from one foot to another, nervously wringing her hands together.

Alya was the first to speak up. “Of course, girl. We’ll take your secret to our graves.”

Nino nodded. “Yeah, dude. We won’t tell anyone.”

Chloé hesitated for a second. “Are you sure you want to tell me? I haven’t exactly been known to keep secrets. After all, everyone knows I’m Queen Bee. I mean, I’ll do my best but…” she trailed off.

Marinette smiled. “Of course I trust you, Chloé. You’ve changed a lot within the past few months, and I feel like you’d keep my secret. All of you,” she finished, looking each of them in the eye.

Chloé smiled softly. “Then, of course, I’ll keep it.”

Marinette smiled back before turning to him. “What about you, Adrien?”

He smiled. “Marinette you can tell us anything.”

She nodded before taking a deep breath. “Ok, so… um… basically…” She began pacing. “I don’t know how to say this. Um, I’ve been thinking…” She stopped, flopping herself down on the couch and burying her face in her palms. “Ugh, this is hard.”

Adrien glanced over at the others, each wearing a look of confusion mixed with worry. He watched as Alya stood from her seat beside Nino and walked over to her best friend, plopping herself down next to her on the couch and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Take your time, girl. And know that we’re all here for you.”

Marinette nodded from behind her hands, taking a visibly deep breath and sitting up, a determined look on her face. She stood up and wiped her hands on her pants. “Okay, I can do this. You guys are my friends, and I can trust you.” She nodded firmly. “Okay... um. I’ve been thinking about telling all of you for quite a while. It’s a pretty big secret, and this is honestly terrifying, but I figured you needed to know. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is...” she trailed off again. “I guess it’s just easier to show you.” Taking a deep breath, Marinette shut her eyes. “Tikki, spots on,” she whispered.

As a bright pink light flooded the room, Adrien shut his eyes. _Wait a minute. I’ve heard that phrase before. Wait… what!?_ He opened his eyes, blinking until the spots disappeared from his vision and were replaced by new ones. Black spots on a red suit. Ladybug. Marinette. _Holy cats. Marinette is Ladybug._

And she was. Standing where Marinette had been just seconds before was Ladybug in all her spotted glory, a sheepish grin on her face. And she had revealed herself to them. To _him_.

He didn’t expect the pain in his chest.

“So uh, ta-da, I guess,” Ladybug said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

Adrien barely processed the screeches coming from both Alya and Chloé. Barely heard Nino’s “Dude, that’s wicked cool.” Barely noticed how all three of his other friends were asking the heroine a million questions all at once.

All he could focus on was not breaking down in tears because this _hurt_. He’d always imagined the moment he and Ladybug would reveal their identities. Nobody else would no except them. The reveal would always happen between two trusted partners. Maybe Hawk Moth was defeated, maybe they had just declared their undying love and loyalty to each other, or maybe they’d just finished a battle and dashed off before they transformed back, but neither of them made it away from each other, their transformations dropping and revealing who they were. Not once had he ever imagined that he discover the girl behind the mask because she told her friends in her real life that she was Ladybug. He didn’t expect her to tell _Adrien Agreste_. It was always Cat Noir.

His heart twisted violently. _Does she not trust her own partner? The other person who has to keep the same secret she does? Who understands better than anyone what she’s going through? Who has been by her side since the very beginning? Why would she tell_ Adrien Agreste _her identity? I’ve only had a few conversations with her due to her stuttering and running away. I gladly call Marinette one of my closest friends, but how can I be one of hers? She’s always so much more at ease around pretty much everyone else, even Cat Noir. Why?_

Adrien was torn out of his thoughts by Nino’s hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay, dude? You look kinda pale.” Adrien focused on his friend’s amber eyes, which were full of concern.

He noticed the others looking at him. Marinette had detransformed at some point. He nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just shocked, I guess.” He plastered on a smile. “Wow, it actually makes a lot of sense. You’re amazing, Marinette.” He walked over to her and gave her a hug. When he pulled back, he noticed that she was red, but she was always red around him.

“T-thanks, Adrien. That means a lot coming from you.” She was wringing her hands and smiling up at him nervously.

“He’s telling the truth, girl. I’ve always known you were awesome, I just didn’t know how much.” Alya said, wrapping an arm around her best friend’s shoulders. “And I’m glad you told me. Now I can help keep it a secret by making fake theories on my blog or leaving fake clues or something and-”Alya abruptly stopped, gasping sharply. “MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG, YOU OWE ME SO MANY INTERVIEWS!”

Marinette laughed at her best friend’s antics. “Of course, Alya.” She softly smiled. I’m glad you’re all taking this well. I’ve been wanting to talk to someone about this for a while, and to be able to vent to someone other than my kwami. It’s been getting kind of overwhelming. I figured that my friends would understand.”

Amongst the chorus of agreements from his friends, Adrien couldn’t help but think, _So would Cat Noir, right?_

Suddenly he watched as Alya leaned in to whisper something in Marinette’s ear. Marinette whispered something back, and Alya smiled. Adrien watched as Alya gave Nino a look and nodded. Now he was thoroughly confused.

“Adrien, Chloé, Marinette has given Nino and I permission to tell you our secrets as well.” Alya said. “I’m Rena Rouge.”

“And I’m Carapace,” Nino said.

The knot that had formed in Adrien’s stomach with Marinette’s confession grew larger. This wasn’t _right_. Ladybug confessed to her closest friends, all of whom she _knew_ were superheroes… except for him. And they turned around and confessed their alter egos, none of them knowing that _he’s_ Cat Noir. He felt sick.

“Wow,” said Chloé. “I never would have even guessed, but it makes sense. Marinette is perfect for being Ladybug and _of course_ she would choose her best friends to fight alongside her.” She smiled wide. “Glad to know I’m not the only superhero in the group.”

Alya laughed. “Just don’t tell the entirety of Paris our identities. No one outside of this room needs to know.”

Chloé mock glared at her. “Haha.”

Adrien tilted his head to the side in confusion, even though on the inside he was hoping they already knew his identity and _that’s why they decided it’d be okay to reveal_. “Does Cat Noir know?”

Marinette shook her head. “Not as far as I know. I haven’t told him who I am or who Rena Rouge and Carapace are.”

Adrien nodded his head in understanding as a lump formed in his throat. _They don’t know who I am._

Nino looked at him again, his brow furrowing. “You sure you’re okay, dude?”

Adrien nodded and held out his fist for Nino to bump. If his best friend noticed that it was halfhearted at best, he didn’t say anything. “I’m cool, Nino. It’s just kind of shocking knowing that I’m best friends with a superhero and good friends with three others.” He laughed even though he felt hollow inside. Even though his heart was shattering into pieces because she had chosen her _best friends_ to be superheroes and never seemed to have thought of _him_ , and yet she apparently trusted _him_ with her secret identity over her own _partner_. Even though he was holding back the sobs that wanted to tear out of him because Alya had said _no one_ outside of this room needs to know, even though they don’t know _he’s Cat Noir._

At that moment, his phone buzzed with an incoming text. Pulling out of his pocket, he saw that it was his bodyguard. “My ride’s here. Looks like I have to go.” He shoved his phone back in his pocket and made his way to the door. He paused at the doorway before turning around to face his friends again, putting a smile on his face that he hoped reached his eyes. “Thanks for trusting me with your secrets.” Then he walked out the door.

The drive home was silent as Adrien stared out the window of the car and got lost in his own thoughts. He refused to let the tears that so desperately wanted to be shed to fall. He didn’t want his bodyguard to notice.

When he got home, he raced up to his room, closed the door, and threw himself on his bed. He curled up in the blankets and buried his face in the pillow. He still refused to let himself cry no matter how much he wanted to. No matter how much his heart was breaking. No matter how much it hurt. He had patrol with Ladybug — with _Marinette_ — soon, and he didn’t want to show up with puffy red eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

The only way he could accomplish his goal of holding back the tears was to hold onto the hope that maybe, just _maybe_ , she’d tell Cat Noir what she’d told her friends that evening. That maybe she _did_ trust her partner, but she desperately needed to talk to someone, and her friends were already right there. Maybe that’s why she didn’t tell Cat Noir first. Maybe she was going to at patrol tonight.

The hope soothed the hurt a little, allowing him to slip into unconsciousness for a short time before he’d have to meet up with the girl who had just unknowingly torn his heart out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you enjoyed! This was originally going to be a one shot, but it was getting too long, so I decided I’d make it a (hopefully short) multi-chapter fic. Comments are food for the muse, so please tell me what you think. Remember, if it’s negative in nature, please be respectful and also give me some tips and suggestions to help improve what you didn’t like. Constructive criticism is welcome. Bashing is not. Bug out!


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette had been nervous all day. Today she was going to tell her friends her biggest and most guarded secret. She’d barely been able to pay attention in class, so focused on the impending reveal. Then they had all gathered at Nino’s house after school, and she had finally worked up her courage to transform in front of her friends. She had done it. It had been nerve wracking, and she’d almost backed out, but she had done it. Here were her closest friends sitting around her after she had transformed into Ladybug, all wearing nearly identical looks of shock on their faces. She let out the breath she’d been holding. “So uh, ta-da, I guess.”

She was still nervous. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, back and forth, as she watched excitement and realization replace the shock on her friends’ faces.

Alya and Chloé began screeching and laughing. Excitement shone in their eyes. Alya was alternating between hitting Nino’s arm and grabbing it and shaking him. Nino took it like a champ, smiling widely at Alya before turning back to her. “Dude, that’s wicked cool,” he said. Marinette felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“My best friend is Ladybug! Marinette, I have so many questions for you!” Alya was practically buzzing with excitement.

Chloé nodded eagerly. “So do I. I mean you’re Ladybug, and I bullied you for ages! Why on earth would you save me?”

Ladybug shrugged. “I’m a hero. It’s my duty to save as many people as possible. But I also saw a light in you, Chloé. I hoped that someday you would learn by example and grow past your old habits. And I couldn’t be more proud. That’s also why I allowed you to continue being Queen Bee. I wanted to give you a second chance.”

Chloé nodded, her eyes shining. Suddenly, Ladybug found her arms full of Chloé as she hugged her. “Thank you for believing in me,” the blonde whispered.

Ladybug smiled and hugged her back. “Always.”

When they separated, Ladybug took the chance to detransform.

Nino whistled. “Wow, dude. That’s awesome.”

“Tell me about it. I’m best friends with the coolest superhero _ever_ , and I just watched her transform! This is super awesome.” Alya’s grin was becoming a permanent fixture on her face.

Marinette blushed. Tikki was sitting quietly on her shoulder. “Guys, I’d like you to meet Tikki, my kwami. She helps me transform into Ladybug and gives me my powers. She’s also the sweetest thing on earth.”

Tikki smiled gently as she floated off of her shoulder. “Nice to finally meet all of you. Marinette talks a great deal about her friends, and I’m honored to meet the people who make her so happy.” Tikki giggled.

Alya and Chloé squealed. “She’s so adorable!” the reporter gushed.

Marinette smiled. “Yeah, she is.” She reached out and rubbed her finger on Tikki’s tummy, causing the kwami to giggle as Marinette tickled her. The girls continued gushing.

Eventually, Marinette stopped and let Tikki catch her breath. “I’m kinda tired, Marinette. I’m gonna rest in your backpack.”

The black haired girl nodded and watched as her kwami flew in the direction of her bag. As Nino, Alya, and Chloé began bombarding her with questions, Marinette didn’t notice the black blur that flew from Adrien’s shirt to follow her kwami.

A few moments later though, she did notice when Adrien hadn’t said anything in a long time. Apparently, so had everyone else. She turned to her crush to find him looking at a spot on the floor in front of him, seemingly lost in thought. “Adrien? You okay?”

No response.

The four of them looked at each other.

“Adrien?” Chloé tried.

Still nothing.

Finally, Nino reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay, dude? You look kinda pale.”

That seemed to work, as Adrien looked up at long last. After a moment, he nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m fine. Just shocked, I guess.” He then smiled at her, saying something about how it made sense and how she was amazing and then he was hugging her and…

And now he’d pulled back and was looking at her. _Focus, Marinette. Use your words._ “T-thanks, Adrien. That means a lot coming from you.”

As the rest of her friends echoed Adrien’s sentiments, Marinette found her self relaxing more and more with the knowledge that her secret was safe with her friends and that she could trust them.

The rest of the afternoon passed fairly quickly with most of the conversation being about her alter ego. At one point, Alya had asked permission for herself and Nino to reveal their identities as well, and while she felt a little guilty when Adrien asked whether Cat Noir knew, the day went smoothly. She left Nino’s house that day feeling happier and lighter than she had been in a long time.

 ~L&CN~

Tikki was worried. She, Marinette, and Master Fu had discussed revealing her fell to a few close friends who they knew were trustworthy. Obviously, Cat Noir was one of them, but Marinette seemed hesitant to let him know who she was. Whenever Tikki mentioned telling him, Marinette would always brush it off and change the subject. Once, Tikki had pushed the matter, which ended up with Marinette telling her in no uncertain terms that she did not want Cat Noir to know her identity. When asked why, the girl had frozen before turning away and refusing to answer.

Tikki didn’t know what to make of it. She had hoped that she would be able to convince Marinette to tell her partner before the others, to make her see that he should know first, but it eventually didn’t work out that way.

After Marinette released her transformation, Tikki perched on her Chosen’s shoulder and sought out Plagg’s Chosen and Marinette’s partner: Adrien. The poor boy was pale and was staring at the floor, not meeting anyone’s eyes. She so desperately wanted to fly over to him and comfort him, to tell him that everything would be alright, but she knew she couldn’t, not without raising questions. She saw the unshed tears start to form in his eyes and worriedly sought out Plagg. From her vantage point she could see him hiding in Adrien’s shirt, pressing up against his chest and trying to offer comfort, but the poor boy seemed too far gone to even feel his kwami’s silent support.

For a split second, they made eye contact. Then, she was being introduced to Marinette’s friends and being tickled. She needed to get away to talk to Plagg. She made up an excuse about being tired and quickly flew away to Marinette’s backpack. She was only there for a moment before her fellow kwami joined her.

 ~L&CN~

Plagg was _seething_. Ladybug, Master Fu’s _prized pupil_ , had just royally screwed up. She’d been dumb enough to reveal herself to her friends before her partner. Add on top of that the fact that she didn’t _know_ one of the friends she’d told was her aforementioned partner. In her eyes, he was just a civilian. But somehow, she thought she’d tell Adrien before Cat Noir, and Plagg — for the life of him — couldn’t figure out _why_.

And now, thanks to her utter _stupidity_ , his Chosen was hurting. He could hear the erratic beating of his heart. He could hear the way his breathing was strained and uneven the way it was whenever he was fighting back tears. He could hear the ring being twisted on his finger, Adrien’s tell that often surfaced whenever he was stressed. He’d heard the signs of Adrien just before he broke down crying enough times that he knew his kitten was heartbroken, that he was just trying to hold it all together.

Plagg pressed himself up against the chest of his kitten, purring quietly so it wouldn’t be heard, but Adrien would feel it. The situation sucked, but Plagg was gonna do his best to make sure his Chosen knew that he was there for him. He started rubbing soothing circles into Adrien’s chest with his tiny paw in hopes of providing some form of comfort.

It was then that he looked up and saw Tikki sitting on Marinette’s shoulder. They made eye contact for a brief moment before she was out of his line of sight.

When he heard her excuse to escape and saw her fly by, he quickly made sure no one was watching before he followed.

“What was that?” he demanded as soon as he entered the pink backpack. “Why on earth did she just do that?”

Tikki turned to him and sighed. “We talked to Master Fu. Marinette’s been really stressed about keeping her secret from everybody. Being Ladybug as well as doing all the things she does in her normal life was really starting to wear down on her, so Master Fu allowed her to tell a few friends she knew she could trust, namely the other miraculous holders and her parents. We both advised her to tell Cat Noir first, but she refused. Each time I tried to ask why, she wouldn’t answer. I’d hoped to convince her before revealing to anyone else, but…” Tikki gestured to outside the bag where the young teens were talking. “I couldn’t get through to her.”

Plagg could feel his tail thrashing back and forth behind him. His ears were pressed to his head and his arms were crossed. “So she thought it was a good idea to reveal to someone who she thought was just a civilian and not to her partner, even though you advised against it?” He growled a bit.

Tikki nodded. “I’m sorry. I really did try to make her see reason, but she’s so stubborn sometimes.” She hung her head. “And now Adrien’s hurt and it’s my fault. I failed.”

Plagg uncrossed his arms and floated over to his fellow kwami. “Tikki, it is not your fault. You did what you could, and that’s all anyone can ask for. If she’s too thick skulled to listen, well, that’s her problem.” He pulled her into a hug. “I don’t blame you. In fact, I thank you for making the effort because you cared enough about my Chosen to do all you could to prevent him from being hurt.”

Tikki pulled away with a teasing grin. “You thank me? Do my ears deceive me? Plagg’s actually thanking someone?”

Plagg rolled his eyes and huffed. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get used to it. I have a reputation to maintain.”

Tikki giggled.

At that moment, both kwamis heard Adrien announcing his departure. Plagg’s ears drooped. “Guess that means I gotta go. Bye Sugar Cube.”

Tikki sighed. “Bye, Plagg.”

Plagg zipped out of Marinette’s bag and into Adrien’s before the boy grabbed it. During the ride home, Plagg migrated back to Adrien’s shirt and resumed trying to reassure him. Adrien didn’t seem to notice. As Adrien threw himself onto his bed and fell into a restless sleep, Plagg curled up next to him, hoping against all hope that this whole thing would somehow turn out okay.

He seriously doubted it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you go! Chapter 2 is out! Sorry this took so long. I’d nearly completed the entire thing when my iPad (what I write this on because I have no computer) completely reset. The whole chapter was completely erased, and I had to start from scratch. The characters might be a bit OOC, but I’m still new to writing in this fandom, so I apologize. I hope you all enjoyed this. Bug out!


	3. Chapter 3

He was caught between being asleep and awake. It was dark. Comforting. His mind was blissfully blank as he floated along in his half-asleep state. He was semi-aware of his surroundings, but not aware enough to remember previous events that day or comprehend current events. He remembered nearly crying, but not what had driven him there. He felt tired. Exhausted. His throat and head hurt. He wanted to go back to sleep.

“Adrien.” There was a warmth resting on his cheek connected to the voice.

Adrien screwed his eyes shut tighter than they already were. The voice was prodding him to wake up. He didn’t want to. Waking up meant remembering. Waking up meant having to face whatever it was that had hurt him so. He’d rather stay blissfully unaware.

“Adrien, wake up.” The warmth became distinguishable as a paw. It was starting to tap lightly.

_Plagg._

Adrien reluctantly and blearily opened his eyes. He stretched and sat up, blinking to clear the sleep from his eyes. He looked around his room, his eyes taking in the reds, oranges, and yellows of the sky as he gazed out his window. He watched as a flock of birds flew through the sky, carefree as they soared through the air. He sighed, a sudden sense of longing settling over him.

He wished he could be as carefree as the birds. As Adrien, he had multiple responsibilities he endured and an image to maintain in order to please his father. He was nowhere near carefree. The closest he ever came was being Cat Noir. Sure, he still had a job to do, but he felt alive in a way that he couldn’t describe. It was thrilling, and he felt that his alter ego was his escape from the responsibilities and hectic lifestyle of Adrien. But even now, the freedom and joy of being Cat Noir were being drowned out by all the secrets. He hated secrets. They were a burden and only seemed to hurt others.

“Hey, kid. How are you feeling?” Plagg floated into his line of sight, breaking his train of thought.

And just like that, the memories came flooding back to him. How Marinette had revealed herself to her friends that she was Ladybug, and that the others had followed suit, with none of them indicating that they would tell Cat Noir their secrets as well, despite him being Ladybug’s partner and part of the team.

The heartbreak was back as well. He screwed his eyes shut, still refusing to cry. There was still a chance. He was about to meet her for patrol. She might tell him then. He hoped she’d tell him then.

He hoped she trusted him.

He felt Plagg resting in his lap. Adrien reached out to rub behind the kwami’s ears. The purr emanating from the small creature soothed him. He took several deep breaths before opening his eyes and looking down at Plagg.

“I guess it’s time to go meet Ladybug, huh?” Adrien said. If Plagg noticed that Adrien hadn’t answered his question, he didn’t mention it.

Instead, he sighed. “You sure you want to do this, kid?”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah. I have to know.”

Plagg fell silent, nodding his head.

Within minutes, a cat-themed superhero could be seen leaping and bounding over rooftops on his to meet with his spotted counterpart for patrol.

Cat Noir was nervous. He was sweating, his hands clammy underneath the suit, and his heart was beating rapidly. He felt nauseous, and at the same time, it felt as if Hawk Moth had let loose a swarm of akumas in his stomach. He could barely focus on what he was doing, almost falling off roofs multiple times. He was just so apprehensive about his meeting with Ladybug.

The flicker of hope that she might yet tell him her secret was at war with the thoughts that she would reject the idea once more. The thought made his heart twist painfully in his chest. After all they’d been through together, he’d like to think that they were friends and trusted each other. After all, he trusted her with his life multiple times, and he’d trust her with his identity if only she’d let him. The thought that that trust might not be reciprocated scared him, and for the first time, he was almost dreading meeting his Lady.

He reached the Eiffel Tower, looking around for his partner with no luck. He whipped out his staff to check the time. _I’m early. Great._ More time to be left alone with his warring thoughts. More time to wait for her with hope, dread, and apprehension.

He plopped himself down on a beam and put his chin in his hands, doing his best to not think about it. He failed miserably.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he barely heard her arrival as she landed behind him.

“Hey, Cat Noir!” she greeted cheerily.

_Act normal. Breathe. Smile. It’s what you’re good at._

He turned around and plastered on a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He stood up and sauntered over to her, taking her hand and kissing it. “Good evening M’Lady.”

_So far, so good._

She pulled her hand away with a roll of her eyes before returning her attention to him. He winked at her as she scrutinized him.

“You okay, Kitty?”

_Uh oh._

“I’m fine, Bugaboo. Cat’s honor.” He raised his fingers in a salute, hoping that she’d laugh it off and they could head out.

She stared at him. “You’re lying.”

_Well, that didn’t work. Maybe I can ask her now…_

As he opened his mouth to ask her about revealing, a sudden fear of rejection crashed over him. He couldn’t make his mouth spit out the words, so Cat sighed. “I’ll talk to you after patrol. Promise.”

She gave him a wary nod. “Let’s go, then.” She took off, and he followed like he always does.

_Coward._

~L&CN~

“Alright, what’s wrong?” She had a hand on her hip, her yo-yo resting in her hand.

He blinked as her voice interrupted his thoughts. “What do you mean, LB?”

She put her yo-yo on her hip before crossing her arms and scowling at him. “Don’t give me that. You know perfectly well what I mean. You have been acting strangely all evening. You keep spacing out, and you’ve almost fallen off of buildings several times. That hasn’t happened since our first couple of weeks at this. Something’s bugging you, so spill.”

He met her angry stare with a cool mask of indifference as he tried to figure out what to do or say. He wanted so desperately to know if she trusted him with her secret as he would willingly trust her with his and as she trusted the others. But the fear of a negative answer paralyzed him. He didn’t know what he’d do if she rejected him now. Besides, she hadn’t made any indication tonight that she was willing to reveal her identity.

But there was still a chance… And he _had_ promised her that he would talk. And he never broke a promise. His mother had taught him that promises were special, that they should never be broken. She’d taught him to never make a promise you didn’t intend to keep.

So, he latched on to the sliver of hope rising in his chest, sighed, and walked over to the edge of the roof. He sat down and waited for her to join him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. He wished he could say it was a comfortable kind of silence between friends, but it wasn’t. It was tense and thick and only made him more nervous the longer it went on.

“I know I’ve asked this before,” he began, taking a deep breath to call his nerves. “and after tonight, I won’t ask again. I swear.” He was twisting his miraculous on his finger now and not looking at her.

Now that he was started though, he couldn’t back down. So, with a sudden boost of courage, he turned to his partner, looking her straight in the eye. “Would you consider… that is… will you…” He took a deep breath. _This is much harder than it’s been before._ But he had to ask. It was important. He took one last deep breath.

“Can we reveal our identities to each other?” The words came out in a rush, but they were out there. He watched her as she stiffened.

Neither moved for a long time. With each second that passed with her simply staring at him and not answering, the flicker of hope he’d latched onto like a lifeline diminished before being snuffed out entirely. A lump formed in his throat. _I shouldn’t have asked. This was a terrible idea._

Finally, she sighed. “Cat… you know the answer to that. It’s too dangerous for anyone to know.”

_Too dangerous? She revealed to the other members of this team and me already. Why is it too dangerous?!_

The horrible realization came to him as he stared at her. “You don’t trust me.”

Her eyes widened, and it would have been almost comical if the situation hadn’t been so tense. She opened her mouth before shutting it again, repeating the process several times. “No, that’s not…” she tried weakly. “I…”

He felt his ears pressing against his head and his tail swishing behind him as the lump grew larger and a knot formed in the pit of his stomach. Once again, he felt sick. Bile rose in his throat. His stomach churned. He needed to get away. Every instinct he had was telling him to run.

So he did.

He stood up and vaulted away from her as fast and as far as he could, ignoring her cries as she called after him. He didn’t know where he was going. All he knew was that he needed to get away. The wind stung his face, it’s harshness whipping against his cheeks as he ran. He wasn’t sure if the tears in his eyes were from the sting of the wind or what had just occurred. Probably both.

He chanced a glance behind him and saw no sign of her. She hadn’t chased after him. The realization brought him to his knees. Suddenly, he found it hard to breathe. He couldn’t focus on anything except the mantra playing in his head. _She doesn’t trust me. She doesn’t trust me. She doesn’t trust me. She doesn’t trust me._

The repetition eventually gave way to cold numbness. His mind had gone blank, and he was simply staring in front of him. But though he looked out at the rooftops stretching out before him, he did not see. Though he heard the sounds of the city at night, he did not listen.

By the time he had pulled himself to his feet to go home, it had started raining. He wasn’t sure when that had started, just that his life was apparently a movie. Oh, and he was shivering. (He didn’t know if that was from being cold or heartbroken, but supposed it didn’t really matter in the end.)

Tears and raindrops blurred his vision as he stumbled over rooftops, desperately trying to hold in his sobs until he got home. He wanted to save his breakdown for when he was alone. His throat was already hurting in the way that it did whenever he refused to cry. His head was pounding, and the shivering had not stopped.

By the time he was inside his room and detransforming, he was completely soaked, and his body was shivering violently. His stomach was churning and his head hurt. All he really wanted to do was to curl up in his blankets and never emerge again.

Plagg rested on his shoulder. “Hey, kid. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Adrien nodded numbly. “Yeah, ok.”

Adrien headed to the shower, shedding clothes along his way. He stepped into the shower and turned on the water. As soon as the water touched him, the dam seemed to burst. Adrien sank down to the ground and, as the water rained down on top of him, finally broke down in tears.

He cried great, heaving sobs until the water had long turned cold. _It’s not fair! Why doesn’t she trust me? Why are there always so many secrets? Why am I always the one left in the dark? Why am I not trusted? Why? We’re supposed to be partners. A team. Equals. So why am I never allowed to know anything? If only she’d let me, I’d trust her with anything…_

_Why doesn’t she feel the same way?_

Eventually, he pulled himself off the floor, quickly cleaned his body, and shut off the water. After drying off and getting into his pajamas, he crawled into his bed, burrowing deep within the blankets and sheets. He hugged his pillow into his chest, and the tear returned. With hiccuping cries, he buried his face into his pillow. His breathing was erratic and his head was pounding. The walls were closing in around him. And he was alone.

Until a small warmth curled up beside his cheek reminded him that he wasn’t alone. When all else failed, he still had Plagg.

He shifted to where Plagg could curl up underneath his chin. Plagg started purring softly, and Adrien’s sobs slowly changed to muffled sniffles and gasps, though the tears continued.

And so it continued until Adrien softly cried himself into a restless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, sorry this took awhile to get out. I was travelling across the country, then summer band started, and now I am in my second day of senior year of high school! So, I've been pretty busy. (Also, I posted during the day? What?)
> 
> Also, the "s" and "d" keys are not really cooperating with me, so if you see any typos, you know why...
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed! Remember to leave a review! All the feedback I've been getting is fantastic, and each comment leaves a smile on my face!
> 
> Up next: We get to see them at school! And possibly some other things, but definitely school…


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